ABSTRACT
Providencia spp. are emerging pathogens mainly in nosocomial infections. Providencia stuartii in particular is involved in urinary tract infections and contributes significantly to the high incidence of biofilm-formation in catheterized patients. Furthermore, recent reports suggested a role for multiple drug resistant (MDR) P. stuartii in hospital-associated outbreaks which leads to excessive complications resulting in challenging treatments. Phage therapy is currently one of the most promising solutions to combat antibiotic-resistant infections. However, the number of available phages targeting Providencia spp. is extremely limited, restricting the use of phage therapy in such cases. In the present study, we describe the isolation and characterization of 17 lytic and temperate bacteriophages targeting clinical isolates of Providencia spp. as part of the Israeli Phage Bank (IPB). These phages, isolated from sewage samples, were evaluated for host range activity and effectively eradicated 95% of the tested bacterial strains isolated from different geographic locations and displaying a wide range of antibiotic resistance. Their lytic activity is demonstrated on agar plates, planktonic cultures, and biofilm formed in a catheter model. The results suggest that these bacteriophages can potentially be used for treatment of antibiotic-resistant Providencia spp. infections in general and of urinary tract infections in particular.
ABSTRACT
A key element in phage therapy is the establishment of large phage collections, termed herein "banks", where many well-characterized phages, ready to be used in the clinic, are stored. These phage banks serve for both research and clinical purposes. Phage banks are also a key element in clinical phage microbiology, the prior treatment matching of phages and antibiotics to specific bacterial targets. A worldwide network of phage banks can promote a phage-based solution for any isolated bacteria. Herein, we describe the Israeli Phage Bank (IPB) established in the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, which currently has over 300 phages matching 16 bacteria, mainly pathogens. The phage bank is constantly isolating new phages and developing methods for phage isolation and characterization. The information on the phages and bacteria stored in the bank is available online.
